102 Bible Verses on Joy

Believe it or not, God wants you to be joyful. God is not a grumpy old man in the sky policing your every move, as much as popular culture may make it seem that way sometimes. God wants our joy, and He knows we will be most joyful when we find the source of our joy in Him and what He has done for us in Jesus. The Bible has much to say about joy, so let’s dive into it.

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What Does the Bible Say About Joy?

Old Testament

1 Kings 8:66
On the eighth day he sent the people away, and they blessed the king and went to their homes joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the LORD had shown to David his servant and to Israel his people.

1 Samuel 18:6
As they were coming home, when David returned from striking down the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs of joy, and with musical instruments.

1 Chronicles 16:27
Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and joy are in his place.

Ezra 6:22
And they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy, for the LORD had made them joyful and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria to them, so that he aided them in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.

Nehemiah 8:10
Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Nehemiah 12:43
And they offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and children also rejoiced. And the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away.

Esther 8:17
And in every province and in every city, wherever the king’s command and his edict reached, there was gladness and joy among the Jews, a feast and a holiday. And many from the peoples of the country declared themselves Jews, for fear of the Jews had fallen on them.

Psalm 4:7
You have put more joy in my heart
than they have when their grain and wine abound.

Psalm 5:11
But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them ever sing for joy,
and spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may exult in you.

Psalm 9:2
I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

Psalm 16:11
You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 19:8
The precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes.

Psalm 21:6
For you make him most blessed forever;
you make him glad with the joy of your presence.

Psalm 27:6
And now my head shall be lifted up
above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the LORD.

Psalm 32:7
You are a hiding place for me;
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah

Psalm 32:11
Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous,
and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

Psalm 47:1
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.
Clap your hands, all peoples!
Shout to God with loud songs of joy!

Psalm 51:8
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have broken rejoice.

Psalm 51:12
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.

Psalm 71:23
My lips will shout for joy,
when I sing praises to you;
my soul also, which you have redeemed.

Psalm 94:19
When the cares of my heart are many,
your consolations cheer my soul.

Psalm 97:11
Light is sown for the righteous,
and joy for the upright in heart.

Psalm 100:1
A Psalm for giving thanks.
Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!

Psalm 105:43
So he brought his people out with joy,
his chosen ones with singing.

Psalm 118:24
This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 119:14
In the way of your testimonies I delight
as much as in all riches.

Psalm 119:111
Your testimonies are my heritage forever,
for they are the joy of my heart.

Psalm 126:2
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then they said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”

Psalm 126:5–6
Those who sow in tears
shall reap with shouts of joy!
He who goes out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
bringing his sheaves with him.

Psalm 149:4
For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
he adorns the humble with salvation.

Proverbs 10:28
The hope of the righteous brings joy,
but the expectation of the wicked will perish.

Proverbs 12:20
Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,
but those who plan peace have joy.

Proverbs 15:23
To make an apt answer is a joy to a man,
and a word in season, how good it is!

Proverbs 17:22
A joyful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Proverbs 23:24
The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice;
he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him.

Ecclesiastes 2:26
For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.

Ecclesiastes 3:12–13
I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.

Ecclesiastes 5:19
Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God.

Ecclesiastes 7:14
In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.

Ecclesiastes 9:7
Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do.

Isaiah 9:3
You have multiplied the nation;
you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
as with joy at the harvest,
as they are glad when they divide the spoil.

Isaiah 12:3
With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

Isaiah 12:6
Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 35:10
And the ransomed of the LORD shall return
and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain gladness and joy,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Isaiah 55:12
For you shall go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall break forth into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

Isaiah 61:10
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;
my soul shall exult in my God,
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

Jeremiah 15:16
Your words were found, and I ate them,
and your words became to me a joy
and the delight of my heart,
for I am called by your name,
O LORD, God of hosts.

Habakkuk 3:17–18
Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.

Zephaniah 3:17
The Lord your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.

New Testament

Matthew 2:10
When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

Matthew 25:21
His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’

Luke 2:10
And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”

Luke 10:20
Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.

Luke 15:7
Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

John 15:10–11
Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

John 16:22
So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.

John 16:24
Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

John 17:13
But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

Acts 13:52
And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Romans 5:3–4
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.

Romans 12:12
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Romans 12:15
Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.

Romans 14:17
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Romans 15:32
So that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company.

2 Corinthians 1:24
Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith.

2 Corinthians 6:10
As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.

2 Corinthians 7:4
I am acting with great boldness toward you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with comfort. In all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy.

2 Corinthians 8:1–2
We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.

2 Corinthians 9:7
Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

2 Corinthians 12:10
For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Galatians 5:22–23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Philippians 2:1–2
So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.

Colossians 1:11
being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy;

1 Thessalonians 1:6–7
And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.

1 Thessalonians 2:19–20
For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy.

1 Thessalonians 3:9
For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God,

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Timothy 6:17
As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.

Philemon 7
For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.

Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Hebrews 12:2
looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

James 1:2–4
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

1 Peter 1:8–9
Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

1 Peter 4:13
But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

1 John 1:4
And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

2 John 12
Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. Instead I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete.

3 John 4
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.